He couldn't play well unless he played often, but he couldn't be trusted to play often because he was performing so poorly and Kelly Hrudey was playing so well. From the day he arrived last February until the last goal he allowed on the last day of the season, almost nothing went right for Grant Fuhr while he wore a King uniform. Acquired to solve a goaltending problem that didn't exist, Fuhr never adjusted to sharing the nets with Hrudey. In his first five games, he had a 6.

The careful handling of an often fragile package, a 19-year-old goaltender, is crowding into the active mind of Dean Lombardi, worrying the Kings' president and general manager. "This kid has thrown me for a loop," he said during practice in El Segundo. The kid is rookie goaltender Jonathan Bernier. Adults might be concerned about long-term implications, but the teenager has seemed blissfully immune to big league pressures, especially in his NHL debut, a winning effort, on Saturday in London.

Grant Fuhr has a goals-against average with the Kings of 6.14, the worst of any NHL goaltender with more than two appearances. "I still have faith in Grant Fuhr," General Manager Sam McMaster says. Fuhr has a save percentage with the Kings of .831, the worst of any goaltender with more than five appearances. "He's a wonderful person and I've gained a lot of respect for him, to be honest," McMaster says. Fuhr has a record of 0-5-1 with the Kings.

In today's NHL, a 3.38 goals-against average would keep a goalie on the bench. For Grant Fuhr, it meant induction into the Hall of Fame on Monday. Joining him were Pat LaFontaine, Detroit Red Wing owner Mike Ilitch and longtime junior coach Brian Kilrea. Of course, Fuhr's goals-against average doesn't reflect his full worth. He won 403 games -- seventh all-time -- won the Vezina Trophy once and the Jennings Trophy once and played on five Stanley Cup winners in Edmonton.

The Edmonton Oilers have asked NHL president John Ziegler to lift goaltender Grant Fuhr's one-year suspension for cocaine use. Fuhr has been to the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage for substance abuse and the the Oilers said he received a clean bill of health.

Grant Fuhr has decided to end his retirement and rejoin the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. Fuhr, 28, retired in early June and said dressing-room incidents that left him feeling a "lack of respect" were the reason.

Goaltender Grant Fuhr, acquired by the Kings in a controversial midseason trade with Buffalo, signed Tuesday with the St. Louis Blues. Because the 32-year-old Fuhr is an unrestricted free agent, the Kings receive no compensation. Fuhr appeared in 14 games with the Kings, going 1-7-3 with a goals-against average of 4.04 last season.

Gary Roberts had three goals and an assist as the Calgary Flames beat Edmonton, 6-2, Friday night in a game marred by another injury to Oiler goaltender Grant Fuhr. Fuhr, who has been in and out of the Oiler lineup all season, had to leave the game after re-injuring his left shoulder in the first period. Fuhr, making his first start since injuring his shoulder on March 13, didn't return for the second period after facing 11 shots in the first. He was replaced by Bill Ranford.

The Phoenix Coyotes managed a rare playoff victory against goaltender Grant Fuhr--and they did it with their youth movement. Shane Doan, drafted less than four years ago and seeing expanded playing time because of an injury to Jeremy Roenick, scored the winning goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues at Phoenix. "I think it went off Fuhr's skate," Doan said Saturday after tapping a pass from Dallas Drake past Fuhr 8:58 into overtime. "It was just sitting there.

St. Louis goalie Grant Fuhr will be sidelined at least four weeks after a second operation on his right knee in a year. The arthroscopic surgery Monday at St. Louis repaired cartilage damage. "Whether the knee is part of it, or not, Grant's play has not been as good this year as last year," Coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's been uncomfortable with the way he's been feeling. This has probably been on his mind for some time. He felt it was best now to get it checked out and fixed.

St. Louis Blues goalie Grant Fuhr, who was on five Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-year span, says he plans to retire after next season. Fuhr, 36, was benched by Coach Joel Quenneville in place of Jamie McLennan for a third consecutive game Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. * Boston Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque has extended his NHL record for All-Star game starts to 12. Joining Bourque as North America all-star starters at the Jan. 24 game in Tampa, Fla.

He had hit some low points in his life, including a rehab stint for a drug problem that got him suspended for most of the 1990-91 season, but Grant Fuhr scraped bottom professionally in 1995. Traded from Buffalo to the Kings--his fourth team in four years--he couldn't stop a beach ball. In his first five games with the Kings, who acquired him for a package of players that included popular defenseman Alex Zhitnik, Fuhr had a 6.55 goals-against average and an .

St. Louis Blues goalie Grant Fuhr will sit out at least four weeks after an operation Saturday for torn cartilage in his right knee. Fuhr, 35, re-injured his knee while sliding to stop a shot by Tony Granato during Thursday's 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks. He is expected to make a complete recovery. "It's the best of a bad situation," Fuhr said. "It could have been a lot worse."

The longest Stanley Cup drought in the NHL threatens to grow even longer. Grant Fuhr notched his fourth playoff shutout as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, at Detroit on Wednesday night in the opener of their Western Conference series. "It starts with defense," St. Louis forward Scott Pellerin said. "We're just trying to go in there, knock guys around, and see what happens." Geoff Courtnall and Pierre Turgeon scored first-period goals for St.

The final Times story of the Kings' '85 season was certainly one to cherish. In a season which finds the organization in the running for most improved team, coach of the year and rookie of the year, isn't it sad that Chris Baker's cute little lead--the only copy on the front page--has to deal with embarrassing Jay Wells for overconfident remarks? The Edmonton playoff game, upon which this story was based, involved a truly spectacular goaltending duel between Grant Fuhr and Bob Janecyk.

Grant Fuhr opened the door for the Kings Thursday night when he gave up a soft goal early in the third period. But the St. Louis Blues goaltender quickly recovered. Fuhr stopped 29 of 30 shots and the Blues were able to hold on for a much-needed 2-1 victory. "Grant was very instrumental in our getting two points," St. Louis Coach Joel Quenneville said. "He kept us in the game at the end." Fuhr was able to rest early in the game. Through the first 30 minutes, the Blues gave up only five shots.

It was wide-open, wild and wonderfully entertaining--the kind of game most players love and most coaches hate. "We caught them gambling and they caught us making mistakes," Chicago Coach Craig Hartsburg said Sunday night after his Blackhawks rallied to tie the Detroit Red Wings, 5-5, on Gary Suter's goal with 2:12 left in regulation at Chicago. "We've got to continue to work to get better."